Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for
when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,
which the Lord has promised to them that love Him.
James 1:12
Yesterday I was asked to give the sermon as our scheduled ministry group did not come...
when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,
which the Lord has promised to them that love Him.
James 1:12
Yesterday I was asked to give the sermon as our scheduled ministry group did not come...
I always try to be prepared whenever situations like this happen. Fortunately, the Lord was with me, as He always is, even when I'm not as prepared as I should be.
I spoke on the "fiery trials" we so often have to face as believers in Jesus. That such trials and difficulties not only test the level of faith we have, and the quality of it - we're all works in progress - but they also serve to earn us rewards in heaven. Faithfulness under fire and enduring hardship is always worth it, I told the men, both for today, and for the future when we're in heaven.
I explained, as simply as I could, that our trials help to shape and perfect us into the likeness of our Lord. They serve to build character, too. How Christ, handled His difficult challenges and trials, which were many, is just how we're to handle them - Trusting God the Father to provide for us the wisdom and strength necessary to overcome an adverse situation, and asking God to help us live in accordance with the Scriptures. The Bible is our guide tor daily living; it's our Owner's Manual.
"The Lord will never give us more than we could handle," I declared. But I added that there are times when we may fail to remain faithful and quit. That we think we've blown it. "But the Lord," I said, "is full of abundant mercy and compassion. He won't give up on us, and He will allow us to start again; to pick up our cross once more."
I used the illustration of GED exam - the General Equivalency Diploma that's offered to those who failed for whatever reasons to get a high school diploma in the past. How that getting one's GED is a good and useful thing to do. However, as many of them could agree, it would often take two or more attempts before the exam is finally passed. I got a lot of amens, for this, as some of these brothers had to take the GED exam four or five times over the course of several years before they passed. I then asked the men if those who had quit after having failed the first, second or third time had quit altogether. I could tell from the many nods I saw that they got the point. A Christian must not quit!
I finished the message by talking about one's future rewards in heaven, or lack thereof. That if we remain faithful to the Lord and persevere under whatever trials we may face in our lifetimes, the Lord Jesus will have rewards awaiting us. This is not an insignificant matter, as there is much in the Scriptures regarding a believer's crowns and rewards.
The Crown of Life, I told the men, is not for our glory. It's for the Lord's glory as a sign of His faithfulness to keep His children in our times of trial and testing.
D.B.
I spoke on the "fiery trials" we so often have to face as believers in Jesus. That such trials and difficulties not only test the level of faith we have, and the quality of it - we're all works in progress - but they also serve to earn us rewards in heaven. Faithfulness under fire and enduring hardship is always worth it, I told the men, both for today, and for the future when we're in heaven.
I explained, as simply as I could, that our trials help to shape and perfect us into the likeness of our Lord. They serve to build character, too. How Christ, handled His difficult challenges and trials, which were many, is just how we're to handle them - Trusting God the Father to provide for us the wisdom and strength necessary to overcome an adverse situation, and asking God to help us live in accordance with the Scriptures. The Bible is our guide tor daily living; it's our Owner's Manual.
"The Lord will never give us more than we could handle," I declared. But I added that there are times when we may fail to remain faithful and quit. That we think we've blown it. "But the Lord," I said, "is full of abundant mercy and compassion. He won't give up on us, and He will allow us to start again; to pick up our cross once more."
I used the illustration of GED exam - the General Equivalency Diploma that's offered to those who failed for whatever reasons to get a high school diploma in the past. How that getting one's GED is a good and useful thing to do. However, as many of them could agree, it would often take two or more attempts before the exam is finally passed. I got a lot of amens, for this, as some of these brothers had to take the GED exam four or five times over the course of several years before they passed. I then asked the men if those who had quit after having failed the first, second or third time had quit altogether. I could tell from the many nods I saw that they got the point. A Christian must not quit!
I finished the message by talking about one's future rewards in heaven, or lack thereof. That if we remain faithful to the Lord and persevere under whatever trials we may face in our lifetimes, the Lord Jesus will have rewards awaiting us. This is not an insignificant matter, as there is much in the Scriptures regarding a believer's crowns and rewards.
The Crown of Life, I told the men, is not for our glory. It's for the Lord's glory as a sign of His faithfulness to keep His children in our times of trial and testing.
D.B.
